"Young Master,
Stop. "
"..."
Seeing that Gongsun Xu and Wen Shengji were about to die under the Jia Lian's blade,
A sharp but peaceful voice suddenly came from behind them.
Two well-maintained, fair and delicate fingers suddenly stretched out from the side and clamped the blade between the two fingers.
This clamp..,
No one could describe the swiftness and ingenuity of this action,
No one could even imagine its appearance.
The blade was already pressed against Gongsun Xu's neck. Blood flowed from the edge of the blade, making people tremble with fear.
The Jia Lian's blade was really aimed at Gongsun Xu's neck. He planned to chop off Gongsun Xu's neck in one go and then chop off Wen Shengji's neck,
Completing a double kill achievement..
But the long blade in his hand could no longer move,
The person's two fingers happened to pinch the tip of his blade.
If the person was a little slower..,
If the pinch was a little wrong, if the pinch was a little lighter,
Then Gongsun Xu would be a dead man now!
The Crown Prince opened his mouth wide and was speechless for a long time.
This kid was really going to chop!
And what shocked the Crown Prince and the others the most was that..,
They had just heard the person's voice coming from behind them, but the blade had already been clamped by the person in an instant,
The person moved faster than the sound.
The Jia Lian looked up,
He shouted out a name that everyone could not believe.
"Companion.
"
The person who came had a white face and no beard. He smiled amiably,
He was the chief eunuch, Dongchang's factory manager, Dai Quan, who had accompanied Emperor Wen Of Zhou for decades.
"Zizhi greets the factory manager."
Feng Zizhi led a group of Dongchang natives to greet their boss.
"Rise."
Dai Quan looked at Feng Zizhi and nodded with satisfaction.
Feng Zizhi did a good job this time,
As soon as he received the news, he sent someone to inform him.
At the same time, he led a group of people to the Jia Lian's side to collect real evidence and mixed it with fake evidence. Even if the Jia Lian destroyed the entire Gongsun Mansion, he could turn the matter into a small matter in minutes.
Although he did not go head-to-head with the Crown Prince and the others, it was right. After all, the chamberlain was a servant. How could he attack his master?
Dai Quan, who already had a bias in his heart, no matter how he looked at Feng Zizhi, he found him pleasing to the eye. He believed that Feng Zizhi had the same demeanor as when he followed Emperor Wen of Zhou when he was still Zhao Wangye.
"Young Master, your grievance, the Emperor knows all."
Quan took out a silk handkerchief from his sleeve and gently wiped the blood stains on the Jia Lian's face and hands..........
.....
. to chop to chop....
The Crown Prince, Li Tianying, and the others had truly gone mad.
"Look, who's here?
.
Everyone was shocked. It couldn't be the Emperor himself, could it?!
They saw a carriage stopped in the direction Dai Quan pointed. The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and they saw the Jia Xie wrapped in bandages, lying on the carriage with a pale face. The young Chang Clan and Jia Hu stood on both sides of the carriage, supporting the Jia Xie to sit up.
"Brother?
Are you okay? "
The Jia Lian asked happily.
"Brother … Brother is okay … You … Stop!"
The Jia Xie did not know whether it was because of the injury or not, but her tone was a little helpless.
"Yes!
Uncle, you have done enough for my husband. Cough cough … Sister-in-law is grateful to you.
It is enough that you have the heart. Cough … cough … If anything happens to you because you want to avenge my husband, my husband will blame himself for the rest of his life … Cough cough … Hu'er and Lian'er will also be sad. "
The young Chang Clan looked gratefully at the Jia Lian, covering her mouth and coughing slightly.
She was grateful. After all, it was her husband, the father of her child, who was injured. Even the head of the family, Jia Daishan, decided not to pursue the matter, let alone her mother-in-law, Shi Clan, and Second Uncle, Jia Zheng!
Only her brother-in-law dared to kill his way into the other party's residence and seek justice for her husband.
Behind the Jia Xie, the Xiao Jia Lian stuck his head out.
He jumped off the carriage and ran to the Jia Lian, calling out sweetly, "Uncle!
. "
The Jia Lian let go of the Xiao Jia Lian. He hurriedly put down his hand that was holding the knife and hugged the Xiao Jia Lian tightly to prevent him from falling.
Dai Quan looked at this warm scene with gratification and motioned for the imperial physicians who came with him to treat Gongsun Xu and Wen Shengji.
After he obtained the imperial decree from Emperor Wen Of Zhou, he went straight to the Rongguo Mansion and the medical center to pick up the Jia Xie, the young Chang Clan, and the two children, who had just woken up.
On the way, he told them what the Jia Lian had done to avenge Jia Xie. He wanted to use them to persuade the Jia Lian.
"Companion, tell me what you want to do with me!"
The Jia Lian said to Dai Quan. He knew that Dai Quan, or rather, Emperor Wen Of Zhou, would not harm him.
"However, everything here was done by me alone. Ran Feng and the others were only following my orders. If anything happens, I will take responsibility."
"
"General!"
Ran Feng and the others shouted in unison, their eyes slightly red.
Dai Quan laughed and nodded at the Jia Lian's head.
"Eunuch Dai!"
The Crown Prince said with a frown. If it was another person who dared to ignore him, he would have already beaten that person.
"This servant greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Dai Quan calmly saluted the Crown Prince.
"Greetings to the Eldest Prince, the Fourth Prince, the Sixth Prince, the Seventh Prince, the Eighth Prince, the Ninth Prince, and the Tenth Prince."
Except for the Crown Prince, all the other princes slightly leaned to the side, not daring to accept Dai Quan's full salute.
"Dispense with the formalities, Eunuch Dai. How exactly does Imperial Father want to punish this lawless Jia Lian?
Do you want him to be thrown into prison? "
The Crown Prince was obviously pressured by the Jia Lian. He hurriedly asked.
Dai Quan's face did not show it, but he sighed in his heart.
The Crown Prince was really getting worse. In the past, he was so wise, honest, and peaceful. In recent years, he had become more and more muddle-headed and impulsive!
"Replying to Your Highness the Crown Prince, the Emperor is wise and has his own decisions."
He turned around and took out a roll of fine silk brocade imperial edict.
Once this edict was out, even the honorable Crown Prince had to kneel on the ground.
"The edict reads: After the son of the Marquis Of Changxing, Wen Shengji, was expelled from the Lam Tin Tai Camp, he did not reflect on his mistakes. Instead, he colluded with the son of the General Kou, Gongsun Xu, to murder the eldest son of the Duke Rongguo, Jia Xie, causing him to be seriously injured … His character is despicable … His intentions are punishable …" What followed was a lengthy, elegant, and obscure speech that bluntly scolded Wen Shengji and Gongsun Xu, causing the Crown Prince and Li Tianying's faces to turn green and white.
The final result was that Wen Shengji committed a serious crime and was sentenced to three years in prison. His father was not strict with his son and was demoted by one rank. Gongsun Xu was stripped of his scholarly achievements and could not take the imperial examinations for three generations. The Crown Prince's concubine did not abide by the precepts and was demoted to a concubine.
The Jia Lian acted frivolously. Although he had his reasons, he could be spared the death penalty, but he could not be forgiven.
Because of his outstanding achievements at a young age, his merits offset his demerits. He was removed from his position as the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Army and fined his salary for half a year.
"General Jia, receive the edict!"
Dai Quan handed the edict to the Jia Lian.
"Imperial Father is too biased!"
The only person who dared to complain about Emperor Wen Of Zhou in public was the Crown Prince. Emperor Wen Of Zhou's favoritism over the years had made the Crown Prince unaware of his own status.
He angrily flicked his sleeves and left. Looking at the direction he was heading, he actually wanted to go to the palace to find Emperor Wen Of Zhou to reason with him.
The Tenth Prince Li Tianying did not dare to show the slightest dissatisfaction with this edict. He just excused himself from Li Tianjin and Li Tianlang and rushed in the direction of his cousin.
The First Prince Li Tianhuang and the Sixth Prince Li Tian?
Seeing their sworn enemy suffer a hidden loss, they gloated and left to find their maternal grandfather, the Grand Scholar of Baohe Hall, the core of the First Prince's faction — Jingtai, to discuss it.
Not sure if Li Tianlang was unhappy that the Jia Lian was safe and sound, or if there was something else, but he unexpectedly also flicked his sleeves and left.
The two smart people, Li Tianyan and Li Tianjin, remained where they were, pondering the meaning behind this edict. They were sensitive enough to hear that Dai Quan said at the beginning of the edict, "Jiayue" and not "Zhaoyue".
The beginning of the edict was "Zhaoyue", which meant that it was written by the Emperor himself. And the beginning was "Jiayue", which meant that it was written by the Emperor himself.
It seemed that Imperial Father really valued the Jia Lian. He even disregarded the Crown Prince's face!
The two of them thought at the same time.
Li Tianyan, in particular, hated it from the bottom of his heart. If he had not retreated when facing the Crown Prince and supported the Jia Lian from beginning to end, he would certainly have received the support of the Jia Lian and the forces behind him. Now, perhaps …
The Jia Lian held the white and tender Xiao Jia Lian in one hand and received the edict with the other. "Companion, I'll have to trouble you to make a trip out of the palace."
These years, as Dai Quan grew older, he rarely left the palace except to read out important edicts.
"You've grown up. Very good."
Only by being three parts frivolous and seven parts profound can one be in an invincible position.
As the person who stopped the Jia Lian, when Dai Quan caught the blade between his fingers, he already knew that even if he did not make a move, the Jia Lian would not really cut down.
The Jia Lian knew that his little trick had been seen through, but he was not shy and only smiled.
Dai Quan shook his head in annoyance. "This old servant only hopes that you won't be like that old Niu Jin. I'll be thankful."
"Yes."
"Zizhi, you're a capable person. Do whatever you want!
I'm old, but I can still cover for you.
What he meant was that if the snake was not killed, there would be no end of trouble in the future. He wanted Feng Zizhi to reveal all the evidence in her hands, both real and fake, so that the Crown Prince and the others would not pursue this matter against Jia Lian.
"Yes."
Feng Zizhi obediently bowed his head.
The Jia Lian did not care what kind of riddle they were playing. If they did not tell him, then it meant that he should not know. Anyway, it would not harm him.
"This servant greets the Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince.
"
Before Dai Quan could kneel down, Li Tianjin had already stepped forward and helped Li Tianyan up. With a gentle face, he said, "Aiya!
Eunuch Dai, what are you doing?
You've been with Imperial Father since you were a child. You've worked hard and achieved great merits. If you kneel down to me, wouldn't that be killing me?
"
Dai Quan was the most powerful eunuch in the palace. It was not an exaggeration to say that he was the head eunuch of the Ceremony Bureau.
In the eyes of Emperor Wen Of Zhou, Dai Quan, who had accompanied him for many years, was much more important than the princes who were not favored.
How could Li Tianjin dare to make him kneel?
As he supported Dai Quan, he quietly stuffed a banknote into Dai Quan's mouth.
Without the protection of his Imperial Mother, Li Tianjin, who had been exposed to the fickleness of human relationships in the palace, knew that he could not meet the eunuchs in the palace empty-handed. He did not ask them to help him, but he hoped that they would not spoil his plans.
Dai Quan did not seem surprised by the banknote. His face was still full of a humble smile. But with a gentle wave of his sleeve, the banknote disappeared without a trace.
Li Tianyan was a step too late, but he was not afraid.
He stuffed a high-quality jade pendant into Dai Quan's hands and said gently, "Eunuch Dai, Old Eighth is right. I'm sorry to trouble you to come out of the palace this time."
"
"Haha!
This servant has a hard life. Your Highnesses are too polite. "
Although he said this, he did not show any mercy. Without even blinking, he gently made the jade pendant disappear.
Li Tianyan never thought that this old eunuch, who was always by his Imperial Father's side and had one foot in the grave, would be so skilled. But the most important thing right now was to build a good relationship with the Jia Lian.
"General Jia, Imperial Father ordered you to reflect on your mistakes behind closed doors because he wanted to protect you. Otherwise, the Crown Prince and Tenth Brother... When the heavens are about to bestow a great responsibility upon a great person, they must first suffer a great deal. Do not be discouraged.
During this time, I will also put in a good word for you in front of Imperial Father, so that you can quickly come out and accept the task.
General Jia is not afraid of power, and I think your brother is not to be outdone. This kind of talent is exactly what the Ministry of Revenue needs. "
Emperor Wen Of Zhou's decree did not specify how long the Jia Lian would have to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors.
Li Tianyan was very willing to work hard. In order to rope in the Jia Lian, he was willing to rope in the Jia Xie, who was well-known in the capital and only knew how to eat, drink, and play, into the Ministry of Revenue.
"Chen's brother does not understand the twists and turns of the officialdom. Chen thanks the Fourth Prince for his good intentions.
I have been on the battlefield for too long and have not had the time to rest properly.
His Imperial Majesty ordering Chen to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors couldn't be better! "
The Jia Lian's words seemed to be blunt, but from the way he addressed Emperor Wen Of Zhou and addressed himself, it seemed that he was deliberately distancing himself from Li Tianyan.
Seeing that Li Tianyan still wanted to say something, the Jia Lian hurriedly called out to Dai Quan, who was not far away dealing with Li Tianjin, and said, "Companion, let's go!
Do you want to lock me up in Rongguo Province, or in His Imperial Majesty's new residence? "
Under the Jia Lian's relentless pestering, Emperor Wen Of Zhou finally granted him a residence with a good location.
"The new residence has not been repaired yet. You should stay in Rongguo Province for now!"
Dai Quan explained.
While the two were talking, the Jia Lian looked at the Seventh Prince, Li Tian, who was standing far away.
They looked at each other and nodded with a slight smile.
There were some things that everyone had a tacit understanding of.
"Little Brother..."
When the Jia Lian and the others walked to the carriage, the Jia Xie called out in a strange manner.
"Brother, are you alright?
Are your injuries better? "
The Jia Lian hugged the Xiao Jia Lian who was clinging to him and asked with concern.
Seeing the Jia Lian's concerned face, the Jia Xie's heart immediately calmed down and he said naturally, "Don't you know who your brother is?
I'll be fine soon.
You really beat up those two bastards just now!
They actually dared to provoke Uncle Jia. Don't you know who my little brother is? "
"Alright."
"It's good that you're fine."
Seeing that his brother was still able to brag and talk, the Jia Lian knew that his brother was fine. He also felt relieved that the Jia Xie had acted strangely just now.
He said to little Madam Zhang, "Sister-in-law, your body isn't well, so don't work too hard. In the future, I'll ask my companion to find a few mamas from the palace to help take care of older brother. You just need to rest well.
The reason why he specially asked for nannies from the palace was naturally to guard against those... annoying villains.
Then he lowered his head and said to the Jia Hu, "Hu'er, how are you studying now?
When we return to the residence, Little Uncle will test you! "
"Hu'er...
Hu'er is now studying with Uncle 'Zeng Guang Xian Wen'. I've already learned half of it. "
Jia Hu looked at the Jia Lian expectantly.
The Uncle he was talking about was the Xiao Chang Clan's younger brother, Zhang Changning. It was said that he was a top scholar in the same year as Lin Ruhai. He was very knowledgeable.
The Jia Lian laughed and praised him, "Hu'er is so obedient!
Amazing!
You're only this old and you're already studying 'Zeng Guang Xian Wen'?
Even your father doesn't know how to recite it! "
"
After being praised, the Jia Hu smiled shyly, his little face red.
"Hey, hey, hey!
I'm still here! "
The Jia Xie was dissatisfied.
"Little Uncle!
Little Uncle!
Lian'er is also very obedient! "
The Xiao Jia Lian was young and didn't know what had happened. He only saw that his dear Little Uncle only praised his brother and ignored him, so he started to make a fuss.
"Oh?"
The Jia Lian pretended to be serious and raised his face, "Then does Lian'er know how to write his name?"
"
When the Xiao Jia Lian heard this, he buried his head in the Jia Lian's neck embarrassedly, only revealing his fleshy little butt.
The Jia Lian was both amused and angry, so he slapped his little butt. Of course, he controlled his strength and scared the Xiao Jia Lian until he screamed.
"Hahahaha!"
When the crowd saw this, they couldn't help but laugh together.
Feng Zizhi glared at the Jia Lian and took the Xiao Jia Lian's chubby little body.
Strangely enough, little Jia Lian was usually quite afraid of strangers. Even when his grandfather, Jia Daishan, who he rarely saw, wanted to hug him, he didn't give face. But when he saw that Feng Zizhi wanted to hug him, he actually obediently stretched out his hands.
"Uncle, beautiful, fragrant."
After saying this, he even gave him a wet kiss.
Feng Zizhi felt the wet heat on his face and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He really didn't know what to do with this "lecher" who was "frivolous" towards him.
Other people thought that the child was innocent and liked beautiful people, but Jia Lian felt uncomfortable in his heart. He used his sleeve to wipe off little Jia Lian's saliva for Feng Zizhi, and said angrily, "This little pervert is really older brother's son!
The Jia Xie had always liked beautiful maids since she was young and refused to accept those who didn't look neat.
"Hey, hey, hey!
Your brother is listening! "
The Jia Xie rolled his eyes.
Jing Mansion
"Grandfather, this time the Crown Prince and the Tenth Prince lost face."
Li Tian?
He said with relief.
Li Tianhuang said with a little pity, "It's a pity that the Jia family offended the Crown Prince and the Tenth Prince for no reason. The Deputy Commander of the Imperial Army was also let go.
Now the Imperial Father ordered him to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors. I don't know when he will come out.
Such a good general was ruined just like that! "
"
"Is that so?"
The Jingtai held the teacup and drank unhurriedly.
"That Jia Lian relied on the Imperial Father's favor to be bold and reckless. He ruined the Crown Prince's pawns and the Marquis Of Changxing's son.
Now the Crown Prince and the Marquis Of Changxing hate him so much that they gnash their teeth and can't wait to eat his flesh.
The Imperial Father protected him this time. I'm afraid that the Imperial Father's favor in the past has been exhausted.
The Crown Prince, the Tenth Prince, the Fair Consort, the Marquis Of Changxing, the Eighth Prince, the Ninth Prince, the Consort Hui... There are a lot of people that even I don't dare to offend!
How can he deal with them?
In my opinion, even if he has the support of Scholar Wang, he has no room to turn over! "
Li Tian?
Raising his fingers to count the large number of people that the Jia Lian had offended, he shook his head.
Hearing this, the Jingtai saw that Li Tianhuang also thought the same. He shook his head and said softly, "In my opinion, not only will the Jia Lian be fine, I'm afraid that the Emperor will put him in an important position in the future."
"
"How can that be?"
Li Tian?
He didn't believe it. Li Tianhuang looked at the Jingtai with a questioning gaze.
"Eldest Prince, do you know what a superior person hates the most about subordinates?"
"
Li Tianhuang was stunned. "Surpassing the Emperor and having power over the court?"
"Wrong!"
"Wrong!"
"Wrong!"
The Jingtai said, "A superior person is most afraid of his subordinates not being controlled."
"Wrong!"
Li Tianhuang, Li Tian?
He was stunned...
"In my opinion, this Jia Lian is very smart. He is worthy of being Wang Yi's disciple. He knows when to advance and when to retreat.
He is now highly favored by the Emperor. At the age of fifteen or sixteen, he has been promoted to the rank of General Zhao Lie. He also holds the position of Deputy Commander of the Imperial Army. He is highly trusted by the Emperor and has a bright future. It is not difficult for him to leave his name in history.
But the more this is the case, the more cautious he needs to be. Our Emperor is not a generous person.
He seems to have offended the Crown Prince and the Tenth Prince, but in fact, he wants to show that he will not join the Crown Prince and the Ninth Prince's faction.
You all see, he will definitely distance himself from us and the Fourth Prince because of some small matter. He will completely become a lone official and a neutral party.
In this way, not only will the Emperor not blame him, but he will also favor him more... "
The Jingtai shook his head slightly. "I heard that he and Niu Jin are like father and son. Now he has even learned Niu Jin's scoundrel ways.
"
"We can't win over Niu Jin, but can't we even win over this Jia Lian?"
Li Tianhuang was very unwilling to give up.
He slapped the wooden table.
As long as they could win over a Jia Lian, they would not have to worry that Emperor Wen Of Zhou's most trusted person, Wang Yi, would not help them.
Jingtai recalled his confrontation with Niu Jin years ago. "Although Old Niu's surname is Niu, he is very slippery.
This old man does not believe that this young man can be like him. "
"
"Grandfather, do you mean that there is a way to make the Jia Lian support us?"
Li Tianhuang was overjoyed.